Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz.

Family Description

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees, tissues sometimes containing milky sap, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, spinous or variously sessile- or stipitate-glandular. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipuliform appendages), entire, toothed, lobed or variously dissected. Individual flowers usually numerous, aggregated and ± sessile (briefly immersed to very shortly stipitate) on a common receptacle and surrunded by an involucre of 1-many series of phyllaries (involucral bracts),the whole comprising a capitulum; phyllaries free, rarely connate; capitula solitary to very many, rarely agreegrated into secondary capitulum-like glomerules.Receptable sometimes bearing paleae (scales), hairs or bristles.Flowers (florets)epigynous, bisexual, female, m ale(at least functionally so) or neuter (sterile). Calyx absent, often replaced on apex of ovary by a pappus of 1 or more series of bristles and / orscales. Corolla gamopetalous, tabular throughout or dilated or 1(-2)-lipped above,variously truncate or 1-5-toothed at apex (appices); rarely corolla absent. Stamens (1-)5, epipetalous, filaments free anthers laterally connate into a cylinder around style (free in one species). Ovary inferior, 1-celled with one basal ovule; style usually divided above into two branches, sometimes entire on male flowers, emerging through anther cylinder, first collecting and exposing pollen,later exposing stigmatic surfaces if bisexual. Fruit an achene (cypsela) usually bearing a persistent or deciduous pappus; pappus sessile or borne on a beak(rostrum).

Genus Description

Erect perennial herbs;stems leafy.Leaves alternate,simple or palmately dissected,petiolate;petioles with sheathing bases.Capitula solitary,few or numerous in racemes or corymbs,discoid or radiate.Involucres calyculate, cylindrical,obconic or campanulate;phyllaries 1-seriate,subequal.Receptacle flat,naked.Corollas yellow.Ray flowers 0-c 24,ligules ± showy.Disc flowers tubular-campanulate;anther bases shortly auriculate;style branches truncate with obtuse marginal papillae.Achenes oblong,glabrous;pappus of capillary bristles,white or reddish.

Species description

Similar to L.atkinsonii but coarser plants differing by its stems to 1.8m; basal leaf blades to 25 x 22cm; capitula often more numerous oftem several lower ones subtended by elliptic or lanceolate bracts; phyllaries to 13mm; ligules to 17 x 3.3mm; disc corollas to 12mm.Achenes c 7mm; pappus sometimes reddish, sometimes not exceeding base of corolla throat.